The 10 Most Significant Outages of 2025

In recent years, the world has witnessed several significant power outages that have disrupted the lives of millions. From hurricanes and nor’easters to infrastructure failures, these events have highlighted the vulnerabilities in our power grids and the urgent need for resilient infrastructure. This report delves into the top 10 global and U.S. power outages, from the nationwide blackout in Cuba to the devastating wildfires that struck California, these events underscore the critical importance of robust and reliable power systems in our increasingly interconnected world. As meteorologists and other experts continue to warn that climate change will persist as an increasing factor in the frequency, duration and intensity of these severe weather events, we can expect that the toll on our already-vulnerable power grid will also remain.

While weather has always been a leading cause of outages, weather-related power outages have been on the rise. From 2000 to 2023, about 80% of major power outages in the U.S. were due to weather events. The number of such outages in the last decade (2014-2023) was double that of the first decade of the century, according to Climate Central.

In 2025, severe weather spared no corner of North America, with the most extreme incidents captured by Eaton. A power management company that specializes in providing backup power solutions to businesses, Eaton has followed and reported on power outages over the last decade and a half. We understand the devastation they can cause both personally and professionally, and our thoughts are with all who have been touched by such events.

1. Monkey business in Sri Lanka 
Feb. 9, 2025 — Sri Lanka suffered a nationwide power outage after a monkey entered a substation and made contact with a grid transformer, causing a system imbalance. The incident exposed long-standing vulnerabilities in the country’s aging power infrastructure, which experts had warned could fail under minor disturbances. Over 22 million were left without electricity as the Ceylon Electricity Board enforced rolling cuts to manage demand. Power was restored within several hours after engineers repaired the damaged transformer and stabilized the grid. 

2. High-voltage vulnerability in Chile
Feb. 25, 2025 — A failure in a high-voltage transmission line triggered a cascading shutdown that plunged 90% of Chile, affecting 14 of its 16 regions and 19 million people, into darkness. The outage disrupted transportation, cell service, water pumps and halted operations at the world’s largest copper mine. Authorities declared a state of emergency and power restoration began after seven hours. By 11 p.m., electricity had returned to roughly half of the 8 million affected households.

3. Widespread blackout in Cuba
March 15, 2025 — A failure at the Diezmero substation near Havana triggered a massive power outage that affected the capital and multiple provinces, leaving over 10 million without electricity. The disruption caused a significant loss of generation in western Cuba, leading to the collapse of the National Electric System. Internet service was impacted, and streets remained dark except for hotels running on generators. Authorities began recovery efforts immediately, restoring power gradually, though the exact timeline for full restoration was not disclosed. The outage highlights Cuba’s ongoing struggles with fuel shortages and aging infrastructure.

4. Power problems in the Iberian Peninsula
April 28, 2025 — An unprecedented grid failure plunged much of Spain and Portugal into darkness, cutting power to millions and disrupting trains, phone and internet services, and ATMs. Spain’s power grid lost about 60% of national demand in just five seconds, causing a complete system collapse. Authorities called the event “exceptional,” and the cause remains under investigation. Restoration began overnight, with 92% of power back by 5 a.m. the following day.

5. Wildfire outages in Southern California
Jan. 8, 2025 — Widespread power outages impacted more than 4 million customers across Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties as wildfires and high winds swept the region. Los Angeles County, where the Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed hundreds of homes, saw the largest share with nearly 1.9 million customers affected. Some outages were caused by damaged infrastructure, while others were part of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) to prevent new fires. Southern California Edison said 178,000 customers were under PSPS orders, with another 420,000 under consideration.

6. Fire-triggered blackout in Mexico
Sept. 26, 2025 — A transmission line failure caused by a fire, likely from agricultural burning, plunged more than 2.3 million people across Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo into darkness. The blaze damaged high-voltage infrastructure along the 400 kV corridor between Tabasco and Campeche, shutting down two critical lines and cutting 1,570 megawatts of load and caused nine power plants to go offline. The outage began at 2:10 p.m. and lasted until about 7 p.m., disrupting transportation, commerce and connectivity in major cities like Mérida and Cancún. Authorities deployed emergency crews swiftly, and full restoration was achieved within five hours. The incident has renewed calls for grid modernization and stricter controls on agricultural burning.

7. Severe storm blackout in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic
May 17, 2025 — Severe storms packing high winds, hail and heavy rain knocked out power to more than 2 million people across D.C., Maryland and Virginia. The outages, caused by downed trees and damaged lines, left thousands without air conditioning as temperatures climbed into the mid-80s. Utilities worked through the weekend to restore service: Pepco reduced outages from 18,000 to 2,700 by Saturday morning, while Dominion and BGE aimed for near-complete restoration by Sunday night, though some areas with extensive damage faced delays into Monday.

8. A new year in the dark in Puerto Rico
Dec. 31, 2024 — Nearly 90% of Puerto Rico’s 1.47 million electricity customers lost power after an underground transmission line failed. The outage struck at dawn, disrupting holiday plans, closing businesses and forcing hospitals and water systems to rely on generators. Restoration began gradually, with more than 700,000 customers reconnected by late Tuesday night, including critical facilities. The cause remains under investigation. Federal assistance was offered as frustration mounted over the island’s fragile grid, still recovering from Hurricane Maria.

9. Solar storm blackout in Puerto Rico
April 17, 2025 — A transmission system failure coinciding with a severe G4 geomagnetic storm plunged more than 1.4 million people across Puerto Rico into darkness and more than 400,000 without water. The outage began around 12:40 p.m., shutting down major power plants and disrupting businesses, traffic lights and transit systems. Hospitals and the main airport relied on generators as crews worked to restore service. By Thursday, Luma Energy had restored power to 90% of residents. The incident has intensified calls to cancel contracts with Luma Energy and Genera PR amid growing frustration over the island’s fragile grid.

10. Island-wide blackout in Bali
May 2, 2025 — The entire island of Bali lost power after a high-voltage submarine cable connecting Bali to Java failed, cutting electricity to an estimated 940,000 customers. The outage began around 4 p.m., shutting down internet and communications and disrupting daily life for residents without generators. Power was restored by about 7:30 p.m. after crews from the State Power Board (PLN) responded quickly. Officials said the cause remains under investigation, though early indications point to a failure in the main interconnection cable. Priority restoration was given to hospitals, airports and other essential services.

The U.S. experiences more power outages than any other developed nation. And when the grid goes down, companies like yours suffer; every minute of downtime results in thousands of dollars lost in productivity. But what causes downtime? The truth is, unforeseen mishaps and grid maintenance issues are often to blame.

Consider the price of one missed “9.” Collaboration and messaging software company Slack surrendered $8.2 million in revenue after its work-communications platform went down for about two hours over a 92-day period in 2019. The hefty sum was issued in credits to users after the company achieved only 99.9% service uptime for the quarter — short of its 99.99% commitment (which allows just 52 minutes, 36 seconds of downtime per year).

Meanwhile, personnel at Nissan and Infiniti dealerships endured a bumpy road following an August 18, 2019 outage that knocked out key systems at the firm’s Colorado data center, halting functions that dealers use to perform essential tasks at franchise locations. While some systems were restored within a couple of days, others remained offline longer, preventing dealers from ordering new cars and parts for vehicles, checking incentives and rebates, filing warranty claims, checking for recalls, and even determining how much customers owed on a loan or lease.

The 10 most unusual worldwide power outages of 2025

While tracking power outages over the past decade, Eaton has exposed some of the wildest and most unique initiators of blackouts. Each year, we are proud to share our collection of the most bizarre electricity-cutting instigators. Below is our 2025 roundup: 

1. Rodent wreaking havoc
Jan. 26, 2025 — A single rat managed to knock out power for nearly 3,000 residents Sunday after damaging a piece of equipment called a switch can at a Puget Sound Energy site, officials said. The outage began about 2:30 p.m. near Good Samaritan Hospital, which stayed online thanks to backup systems. Most customers had power restored within three hours, and the remaining 123 were back on by 7:20 p.m.

2. Copper caper
Feb. 3, 2025 — Las Vegas had a brief brush with the “wire life” when suspected copper theft at an NV Energy substation knocked out power for a dozen customers Monday afternoon. The outage began around 3:15 p.m., proving that what happens in Vegas sometimes involves utility crime. By 6:15 p.m., all but one customer had lights back on.

3. Ringtail ruckus
April 9, 2025 — A ringtail, a cat-sized carnivore, turned Kerrville’s power grid into its personal playground early Wednesday, knocking out electricity for about 3,800 customers. The outage began at 12:48 a.m. after the critter made contact with substation equipment, prompting a loud explosion-like sound reported by residents. Crews quickly identified the culprit as the elusive “miner’s cat” and restored power within two hours.

4. Mustang mayhem in Virginia
April 22, 2025 — A father-son racing duo turned Courthouse Road into their own speedway Tuesday evening, ending with a Mustang crashing into an electric pole and leaving about 2,000 Stafford County residents in the dark. The boy’s father, arriving in a green Porsche, whisked him away, sparking an hour-long standoff at their home. Both eventually surrendered. Power was restored, but the family’s street cred? Total blackout.

5. The electric sssslide
May 11, 2025 — A slithery saboteur knocked out power for more than 5,500 Duke Energy customers in Wayne County after crawling into substation equipment Sunday night. The outage began around 9:35 p.m. and was fully restored by 11:10 p.m., but not before the snake became the third reptilian culprit in a week to short out central North Carolina’s grid. Experts say snakes sneak into substations seeking warmth or bird eggs.

6. Riding a high voltage
June 21, 2025 — Guests at Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta got more suspense than they paid for when a widespread power failure left riders dangling mid-air Saturday afternoon. The outage, linked to a nearby utility substation, shut down multiple attractions and sparked a chorus of screams as crews worked to safely bring everyone down. Power was later restored, and the park offered rain checks to those caught in the unexpected cliffhanger. No word yet on how long the outage lasted but for some, it felt like an eternity.

7. Fire in the hole in Fargo
Aug. 7, 2025 — A late-night dumpster fire in Fargo turned into an unexpected blackout after flames damaged a nearby electrical box, cutting power to a neighboring building. Fire crews responded around 1:30 a.m. to find discarded furniture and garbage ablaze on 34th Street South. The blaze also scorched a fence, but no injuries were reported. Officials are investigating the cause, proving once again that even trash can take down the grid.

8. Something is fishy
Aug. 3, 2025 — A small brush fire and power outage in Ashcroft, B.C., started not with lightning or a careless camper, but with a fish falling from the sky. Fire officials say an osprey dropped its catch midflight, and the fish struck power lines, sending sparks onto dry grass and igniting a blaze that scorched less than an acre. Electricity was briefly knocked out for the village of 1,500. The bird escaped unharmed, though the fish was “well done.”

9. Nothing like a blackout to get your steps in
Oct. 15, 2025 — Thousands of employees at The Exchange 106 in Kuala Lumpur, the world’s 23rd tallest building, got an unexpected cardio session when a power outage stopped elevators, forcing them to descend 106 floors on foot. The blackout, caused by a lightning strike at a coastal power plant in Melaka, also plunged major malls and traffic lights across Klang Valley into darkness. Videos of workers trekking down stairwells with flashlights went viral, sparking jokes like, “If the power comes back when we reach the ground floor, I’ll cry.” Power was fully restored by 5:54 p.m.

10. Power poles are not prime real estate
April 14, 2025 — More than 8,400 customers in Innisfil lost power Monday morning after an osprey tried to build a nest on supply circuits feeding the town. The outage began shortly after 10 a.m., knocking out traffic lights and hydro across a wide area from Gilford to Alcona. Crews restored power just before noon, but officials say the bird’s home improvement project caused the unplanned disruption. 

Eaton's Blackout Tracker Annual Reports (2009-2018)

From 2008 to 2018, Eaton tracked power outages to provide helpful information to businesses on their causes and impacts. In 2019, we opted to move from the historic Blackout Tracker Annual Report and instead, focus on sharing some of the year’s most compelling stories associated with power, as well as explore the impacts of blackouts on a variety of specific industries.

A power outage is just one of nine common power problems that impact power quality and availability. In many cases, they occur within a building or facility and are not reported publicly. As a result, power-related problems occur far more frequently than what is shown in the Blackout Tracker Report. All of our reports available to download are posted below. For the latest power outage data, please visit poweroutage.us.